The present invention relates in general to alerting drivers when a vehicle is or may be likely to be traveling in excess of a speed limit, and, more specifically, to a predictive system for evaluating vehicle speed and providing custom warnings for various speed-related occurrences.
Driver assistance systems are known that are capable of monitoring vehicle speed and/or acceleration to present a warning to the driver in the event that a speed or acceleration limit has been exceeded. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,258,934, for example, a warning may be generated using a haptic device, heads-up display, audio warning device, or other indicators. In addition to warnings based on exceeding a speed or acceleration limit, warnings may be generated based on proximity to intersections or an approaching curve in the roadway.
Depending on how a warning system is implemented, concerns may arise in which a distraction created by the warning system may reduce the system effectiveness. The efficacy of a warning may depend significantly on its timeliness and its ability to present an easily understood representation of the type and urgency of a particular warning.